This week I'm tackling a 7.55lb pork picnic. I got her rubbed down with a variety of spices from my cabinet, and injected with a mix of hot sauce, Worcestershire and apple cider vinegar. Smoking around 225-250 over hickory and applewood. The goal is to get to 190, chop/slice the product and add it into a chili I've got simmering away in my crockpot.

Right after she went on the ECB:

Chili fixins

About 2 hours in...bark setting nicely

Started mopping her down with a mix of leftover injection, Stubbs spicy sauce and apple cider vinegar

Needed a snack along the way, rubbed and tossed on a pork chop. Still got a few more minutes to go.

Honestly I've never done it before. Never had pork chili in my life. The idea came to me a few weeks ago (I know, some people are late learners). Figured I'd take a shot this week. I took that pork chop, sliced it up and put a little chili on top. If that's any indication of what I'm in for, WOW. The excitement is starting to build.

I'm getting ready to foil the picnic here shortly. It's at 135 closing in on the 4 hour mark and I'm having a little difficulty keeping the charcoal temps up. Windy day and a ton of ash buildup in my fire pan. I may just foil and finish in the oven instead of fighting the fire for several more hours.

Here she is at 6 hours, holding a steady 154F internal. Shortly after my last post, my ECB temp was dropping again and my fire pan was clogged with an insane amount of ash. I don't know if it was the steady cross breeze or the bag of charcoal or what, but I have never produced that much ash during any other cook. Since I was pushing the 4 hour mark and still fighting to hit 140F internal with my cooker temp diving below 200, I pulled the ripcord. I quickly got the oven and a Pyrex baking pan preheated to 280. I pulled the picnic off, put it inside a foil pan, which I then put inside the Pyrex baking pan. I put my drippings and some cider vinegar into the Pyrex, so they were off the meat but still right close by. I basted the meat with a light brush of Stubbs spicy sauce, then I put some softened pats of lard on top to baste it. Then I foiled over the entire Pyrex and put it into the oven.

Below that rack, I put a sheet pan with a 13x9x2 baking pan on top, and I filled that baking pan with water. So I've got the oven (heating element on bottom), then a rack with the sheet pan/baking pan combo full of water, then the glass Pyrex with drippings/cider vinegar/water, and inside that, the foil pan with the actual picnic. I figured this is going to be a pretty accurate simulation of the ECB since I was done laying smoke on anyways. The oven's been holding a steady 280 ever since, and I just snapped that pic during my first checkup. I think I'm in the stall now, but I'm not worried - it should power cook its way through given the foil and a humid yet steady 280 degree oven. Honestly, it was nice to be able to toss it in the oven, take a cool shower, pop a cold one and not fight to maintain a fire anymore. I even got all my dishes done!

The smell inside my apartment is pretty intense right now with both the chili and pork cooking away. I've got a 55" plasma with the PGA Championship and a 12 pack of cold ones in the living room next to the kitchen so I ain't complaining! Just hope she hits 190-200 and has time for a rest in time for dinner here in a few hours.